Honors in Arts and Humanities

The School of Arts and Humanities Honors Program offers eligible students the opportunity for advanced creative and scholarly work and recognition within the School.

Requirements: To earn Arts and Humanities School Honors, students must graduate with (a) a minimum of 30, graded, upper-division semester credit hours at UTD, (b) at least 12 hours of upper-division courses in the student's major with a GPA of 3.80 in those courses, and (c) the completion of an honors thesis or project evaluated by two faculty members with a grade of at least B+.

Honors Thesis or Project:SchoolHonors students must successfully complete an honors thesis or project under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. Each student is responsible for securing a supervisor for his or her thesis or project. The thesis or project supervisor should be a tenured member of the faculty or a faculty member on the tenure track. Non-tenure/tenure track faculty members will be allowed to supervise an honors thesis or project under exceptional circumstances (ADU approval is required). It is recommended that students begin planning for the honors thesis or project as early as possible and, ideally, meet with prospective faculty supervisor one or two semesters prior to undertaking the thesis or project. The faculty supervisor will then help the student to select the second reader. Students who wish to undertake a creative honors project must have successfully completed at least one practice-based course at UTD in an appropriate medium.

Thesis option
A thesis is usually understood to be a substantial research or critical paper (minimum 20 pages) on a specific topic. While the particular topic, approach, scope, and length are worked out between the student and the faculty supervisor, the thesis should demonstrate that the student has mastered the concepts and materials in his or her field and has come to independent interpretations and conclusions.

Project option
A project is usually understood to be a creative production in addition to a written paper (minimum 5 pages). A project may focus on creative writing, digital media, music, performance, or visual arts, for example, and result in a piece or pieces of creative work accompanied by a critical analysis of the project. The project must include public presentation of the project, which could include web publishing, an exhibition, a performance, or a reading. Students will work with their faculty supervisor to determine the appropriate form of public presentation.

Registering for Honors Thesis or Project: In order to register for honors credit, students should consult with their academic advisor. Students must complete an Application and Registration for Senior Honors Thesis or Project form, which is signed by the supervisor and second reader and is turned in to the office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in Arts & Humanities when the student registers. Students will then register for three hours of credit under the honors course number in their major: AP 4V99, ATEC 4V99, EMAC 4V99, HIST 4V99, or LIT 4V99.

Submission and Evaluation of Honors Thesis or Project: To earn Arts and Humanities School Honors, both the supervisor and the second reader must evaluate the thesis or project as meriting a grade of B+ or better. If the readers determine that the thesis or project is below the quality necessary for honors but merits a passing grade, the student will receive that grade and earn three hours of credit.

Final evaluation of the student’s honors thesis or project by the faculty supervisor and second reader is due to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education (JO 4.510) by the first day of the final examination period for the semester. Students must submit a copy of the honors thesis or project to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education by the last day of the final examination period for the semester. All theses or projects must have a title and all written work must include formal citations.